Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-03-13

u VIII not b strange n, de&paiKin9 81
accomplishing anything By demanding
tbs pFotection Which Is is the duty Of
the Government 10 afford them, they
snoe moEs lapse into the same apathetie
state. The feeling Ia favor Of the con
ssEuetios Of dsfeases could not Be more
unanimous or more Intense thaA Il has
been for the past yesF. The fact that
Il has been 20 utterly disreQarded may
discourage the people and mAks them
despair Of obtaining from the Govern
meat the protection which they have
right 70 expect.
OF s0uTss. there are so0e, though
they are happily only . small minority,
vbs fail 10 sse the necessity for coast
dsfensss In America and are rather
plea sed than otherwise at The inAssion
Of Congress. The argument By which
those Who believe thus iastify their
position is that vas 10 too improbable
contingency 70 Be provided sRainss and
that the construction Of defsnsea In
land % psaaeably disposed as our own
IL an annsocsssaFy and uniustinable
waste Of pablo funds.
saeh en- Argument is scarcely worthy
Of sn answer. and the wonder IL thai
any numbsF Of intslligent people should
Be willing " advance 10 In Justification
Of 'thelr bsllef. War IL an improbable
contingency, bat ne one would venture
10 claim that u Ia an impossible one.
Oar eosniry is happily sxsmpt from the
quaFrels ard complications vhich In
vOIvs other nations In var, bat We are
ssnstan tly in the midst Of sompliea-
tions Of cur own which miRht at any
time lead 10 bostilities. Since the close
Of the Rebellion there has soaFssly been
. year 10 which there has not arisen
some question between the United
States and foreign government which
might net by an anIuoky turn have
evsntuaiod in hostilities. These who
remember the ViTGinius incident In
1873. for Instance. and recall how sud
denly and unexpectedly IL arose and
how near to the verge Of war II brought
the Nation almost within twenty four
hours, will scarcely argue that war IL
not contingency TO be provided against.
Further than this, it should be re-
membered that frOn the beginning of
recorded history to the present, there
has aot been q single day on which all
the world has been at peace. War has
ever been ranging somewhere. The day
when every nation shall rest upon its
arms and every people shall turn lie
thoughts from war aud vengeance TO
peace and the pursuits OF industry, is
yet 10 dawn. IL thers any wAFrsat fer
the belief that We OF America are to e.
cape a curse which seems common TO ell
humanity Is IL not, on the contrary,
folly to suppose that We have been set
aside IS the children Of peace amid a
world Of war;
The prudent householder insures his
property, not because be believes q COR
hagFation to be imminent OF even prob
able. but because be knows IL to be .
possible contingency. The head Of the
household does not lock the doors al
night became he knows that q
thief has set cut 10 rob bis house, bat
because be knows that there are thieves
and that they are liable AZ any time to
try the haadle OF his door. The city
spends money upon its Gre department,
not because Gre is raging, bat because
the experience Of the past teaches that,
sooner or later, one will rage. Likewise
the experience Of the past teaches that
te every nation war will come. sooner -
later. The City Council which would
refuse 10 organise Gre department. be-
cause there vas no red glare 10 be seen
In the shy at the msment the sabjset
vts under aiseussiOn, Uouid be correctly
sci dswn a. body Of fools. What.
then, shoald be said OF the Congress
which fails 70 provide aesiass var be-
easss its members cannot dsscry = cora
plieation fsom vhioh var is likely 10
asisef
The objection 10 coast defsuses 90 the
ersund that the pabtie msnsy should
no. be expended In providing asaius,
remote contingencies. 10 equally pueriIs.
Pahlie money tightly locked In The vaults
OF the Treasury is nos likely TO be Of
bsnsat 10 either government or people
Public msney expended In the efsctisn
Of defsnses and public buildings. 10 i'm
proving hsrbors and deepening the
channels Of rivers. IN sustaining infant
industries and stimulating inventive
and mechanical GeBias. mast prsv~ q
lasting bsneHt 10 the people. The
mouey spent foe coast defenses. for in
stance, woald be expended almost en-
tiFely among the working people Of the
Uaited States. Il would pass frsn The
hauda 81 the Government into the
hands Of the people. The detsnses
woald remain IS eternal monuments Of
The transaction. bat the Nation would
Be- nons the poorer for il.
Congress hAs eulpshly failed in lie
dusy. The results Of its negligence
NAV be disastrous. or they may not.
rhat asPeuds entirely uPou the history
Of shs next decAds-nPou tie eoarss Of
future events. II they are disastrous,
he~evsr. they ~iIl Be - terribly disas
iross that they wiil cloud the fuiars
history Of mankind and retard TIE
World in iss ssraeEis apvArd aud onuard
10 she higher freedom WHOSE rays
glimDering from the far distance, are
hns Just eommcncing 60 light its path